Effects of Group Size on Problem Solving

Effects of Group Size on Problem Solving Theories Social Psychology Print How Does Group Size Influence Problem Solving? Study Suggests Small Groups Solve Problems Better By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Kendra Cherry Updated on July 08, 2018 PeopleImages.com / Digital Vision / Getty Images More in Theories Social Psychology Behavioral Psychology Cognitive Psychology Developmental Psychology Personality Psychology Biological Psychology Psychosocial Psychology When it comes to solving problems, are two (or more) heads really better than one? Solving problems on your own can have its own strengths and weaknesses, but what influence does group size have on the process? Learn more about some of the research on group problem solving, including how the size of the group may influence problem solving effectiveness. Overview One study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology looked at the effects of group size on problem solving.Researchers compared the problem-solving performance of small groups to that of individuals working alone.  The results of the study indicate that groups of three solve problems better than even the best individuals working alone.What are the implications of these results? The findings may be useful in academics, where problem solving groups might serve as an effective learning tool. Groups and teams in science, health care, and business may also find these techniques useful as well. Are Groups Better at Solving Problems? Are individuals or groups better at solving problems? According to one study, groups of three to five people perform better than individuals when solving complex problems. The research, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, suggests that groups of three people are able to solve difficult problems better than even the best individuals working alone. How Was the Study Performed? Researchers had 760 student participants from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign solve letters-to-numbers code problems, working either individually or as part of a group. The study notes that there is a surprisingly small amount of research on the effect of group size on problem solving. Earlier research suggested that groups perform better than individuals on problems of average difficulty. The current study assessed performance by comparing the number of trials needed to solve the problem as well as the number of errors made. The results demonstrated that groups of sizes three, four, and five performed better than individuals at solving the problems. In a press release from the American Psychological Association, lead researcher Patrick Laughlin attributed the improved performance of groups to the ability of people to work together to generate and adopt correct responses, reject erroneous responses, and effectively process information. The study also ascribed the success of small groups on letters-to-numbers tasks to the group members combined their abilities and resources to perform better than the best of an equivalent number of individuals on the highly intellective complementary group task. While researchers had hypothesized that groups of two would outperform an equivalent number of individuals, the results of the study actually demonstrated that groups of two people performed at the same level as individuals working alone. Also, while groups of three, four and five people performed significantly better than an equivalent number of best individual and two-person groups, these three groups did not differ from each other in terms of performance. The results of this study therefore suggest three group members were necessary and sufficient for the groups to perform better than the best of an equivalent number of independent individuals. Implications of the Research This study has a number of implications in academics, science, medicine, and business. The results indicate that groups of three are more efficient and more accurate at solving moderately difficult problems that require the use of logic, verbal, and qualitative understanding. The authors of the current study suggest further research is necessary to determine if three-person groups are more effective at solving other types of problems and whether effective problem-solving within a group then transfers to individual problem solving. This research can have a range of implications in fields such as education, military, and business. Educators and employers may find that putting people in small groups may lead to better problem solving results than having people work alone. A Word From Verywell Research suggests that small groups may actually be better at solving problems in some situations. While group work often has a bad reputation, there are situations and problems that may actually benefit from the input of others. If you have a problem to solve, consider how bringing in other people and working as a team might influence the outcome. The advantage of working with a group often comes from the shared ideas and being able to draw upon the experience and expertise of multiple individuals.